


better together

by Holiday12345



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:40:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25622263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Holiday12345/pseuds/Holiday12345
Summary: Neither Sokka nor Zuko can seem to get any sleep at the air temple, so they end up talking all night. Turns out they have a lot in common and could be really friends, well maybe really really good friends.Cute but lots of smut, I don't really know where it's going that much but will update the tags as they come.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 326





	1. Chapter 1

"You might have everyone else here buying your ... transformation, but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past. So let me tell you something, right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends ... right then and there. Permanently."

Katara's speech left Zuko trembling slightly. Zuko watched her figure as she walked away until she was completely out of sight before turning towards his own room. Once he was safely inside the small and bare air temple room he let a small tear glide down his cheek. He did not let himself sob or whine or moan, he had too much pride for that, even in his own chambers, but he did let his head fall into his hands. After years of blindly chasing his honor he had come to realize that he was going be on the wrong side of history and he needed to do the right thing. Leaving his home, his family, Mai, had been heartbreaking. He had thought that that was going to be the hard part of his transformation, but now it seemed like it was only the beginning. 

It occurred to him that he should probably sleep. Training the avatar would be no easy task. He shifted to lie on the bed, not bothering to change his cloths, not that he had anything to change into. He was exhausted, having not had a real bed to sleep on in days, one would think he would pass out on the air temple mattress within seconds, yet his mind swam. He was still filled with guilt on every level. He thought about the people he had killed for his so called honor, but also about the people he had abandoned back home. Which was the greater evil? The fire prince stared up at the cream colored ceiling for what felt like hours, replaying the last three years in his head. He felt nauseous. It quickly became clear that sleep was not on the menu for him tonight, so with quick and decisive motions he got out of bed and walked out of his room. 

It was darker now, the only light in the air temple bleeding from the dying fire. The air temple was beautiful, the prince thought, realizing how little he had appreciated it earlier with all the anxiety of joining the avatar's group. Zuko slowly made his way to the edge of the temple, overlooking the depths of the canyon. Moving slowly and carefully, Zuko lowered himself to a seated position with his legs dangling over the edge. The sky was a deep blue contrasted by the bright stars. Zuko was accustomed to the darkness that let you see the stars after his many years on a ship, but he did not often stop to appreciate their beauty, it seemed like a trend. 

"Having trouble sleeping?" the voice startled Zuko and he had to grab onto the edge to prevent himself from slipping over. 

"Jesus Sokka you almost killed me!" the prince exclaimed, eyes wandering to the water tribe boy who was sitting just beyond the next pillar. Sokka was in almost complete darkness, the fire only illuminating enough to make out the outline, but the lean but strong form could be no one else's. Sokka chuckled deep in his chest, a low rumbling sound that warmed to cool night air. 

"Me too" Sokka replied to the assumed answer from the prince. They sat in silence for a moment, both taking in the stars that glittered in the sky. The sounds of cicadas and dying fire filled the air. Zuko broke the silence first. 

"Why?" The question was straight forward, but heavy all the same. It was the type of question you would ask a friend, not a long term enemy newly turned shaky ally, but all the same Zuko asked it, and Sokka replied. 

"After the invasion, you know?" There was not response from the prince, so Sokka continued, "I planned it. And it failed. People died, because of me and I..." the thought went unfinished, and Zuko didn't push it. The silence lapsed for a moment, neither looked at the other, only out. 

"It's not your fault" the prince finally said, turning to look at the water tribe boy, "you know that right?" 

"I know, it just hard" Sokka bit his lip, not that Zuko could see it, "also you can't tell Aang or Katara about this. They have enough to worry about and I have not interest in them smothering me." It was Zuko's turn to chuckle now, a lighter sound. It make Sokka smile, after all this time seeing rage painting every aspect of Zuko, hearing his laugh was a welcome surprise. Sokka looked at Zuko as he laughed, their eyes meeting for a second through the darkness. 

"Your lucky you have people that care so much about you." Zuko said, sadness ghosting his words, "But don't worry, this can stay between us." He smiled at Sokka, sure the younger boy couldn't see it, but he hoped that he could. He hadn't smiled, truly, in far too long. He knew that Sokka didn't trust him past this conversation in this moment, but even the smallest glimmer of trust warmed his heart. 

"So what about you?" Sokka paused, watching the smile slowly fade from the fire prince's lips, "why are you up?" 

"You think planning a failed invasion is heavy of your conscious, try fighting for the bad guys for all of your life and then having to abandon everyone you love to fight for what's right." It was a feeble attempt at a joking tone but sadness and bitterness traced every word, he dropped to attempt at humor quickly and continued in whispers "I don't miss my father or my sister, they are both terrible, terrible people. But I left my best friend Mai, I miss her already" Sokka didn't respond, he didn't know what to say. He had never really considered how traumatizing the young prince's life had been. He didn't want to push Zuko into telling anymore painful stories, so he didn't ask about the omittance of his mother or the relationship between him a Mai, so Sokka just stayed silence. It's not like the silence was awkward, it was peaceful and they both needed it. Time to think, to mourn, to grow. Even without speech, the presence of another made it less painful. Sokka picked up a stick and drew in the dust and Zuko began to pick at his fingernails. 

"Mars is really pretty tonight" Sokka said, refocusing onto the stars above. 

"Which one is mars?" Zuko questioned, looking ridiculous as he squinted to try to find the planet. 

"It's the red one" Sokka pointed "That one" 

"I can't see where you are pointing!" Zuko complained. Sokka huffed loudly and got up, circling the column between them to sit down directly next to zuko. The prince tried in vain to ignore the heat flowing off from the other boy. Sokka pointing again, and Zuko squinted. 

"I see it!" Zuko exclaimed excitedly, then quickly became embarrassed and turned scarlet, luckily in the dark it was much harder to tell, "It is beautiful" Zuko shifted his attention the boy, more like a man next to him. Sokka's hair was out, brushing against his sharp jawline. The golden light from the fire reflected off of his cheekbones and side of his nose. His build was still lean but much bulkier than what Zuko remembered. When Sokka began to turn his head to look at Zuko, Zuko turned away quickly. 

After pointing out a few more planets, Sokka leaned back slightly supporting himself on his hands, one of which was spaced just next to Zuko's. The prince tried to ignore it, he really did. He feebly attempted to listen to Sokka, to look at the stars and planets. 

"My granny taught me all the stars and the plants" Zuko refocused on Sokka who had been talking about the planets for several minutes now, rambling about the myths and navigation tactics "I'm surprised you didn't have to learn about them, given being a prince and everything." Zuko shifted his hand slightly, to get more comfortable, he told himself. Their hands were only about an inch apart. 

"Yeah I didn't" Zuko said, only half paying attention when Sokka's hand slid over his and his breath caught slightly in his chest, "we more learned about battle strategy and fire bending. Lots of fire bending. History..." Zuko rambled on about his princely curriculum, slowly growing more comfortable and confident speaking to the water tribe warrior. As Zuko complained about having to learn about fire nation history. Sokka leaned in and rested his head on the prince's shoulder. They talked about battle strategy and Zuko began to run his fingers through Sokka's soft hair. They talked about sword fighting, the single blade vs. the dual blade and Sokka rested his hand on Zuko's crotch. Sokka laughed when Zuko asked for a moment to catch his breath, Zuko pushed Sokka away as a response. Sokka pouted and Zuko laughed. The sky began to brighten into a lighter grey, the stars dimmed and the moon sunk under the horizon. As the pinks and oranges of sunrise began to fill the sky, Sokka finally asked:

"Do you want to come back to my room?"


	2. the first night together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a little bit of "lighter smut" if that's what you're here for, definitely more to come. If not there is some cute fluff throughout especially at the end. Thanks to everyone who commented or left Kudos on the last chapter! <3

Afternoon light danced over Sokka's eyelids, pulling him out of the fog of sleep. He quickly became aware of a warm blob, a person in his bed with him. Before he opened his eyes he let the warmth flood him along with the memories of the night before. When the sun started to rise Sokka had pulled Zuko by the hand to his rooms, locking the door behind them. With every intention of doing some things that the monks would have certainly not agreed with, as soon as they climbed into the bed with their mess of overgrown limbs, the sleepless nights of the past few weeks had caught up to both of them. Sokka almost groaned at the realization he had completely fallen asleep. 

Sokka let his eyes slowly open and adjusted to the brightness of the room, he smiled down at the black hair that was resting on his chest. Zuko was curled around him like a koala to a tree. Sokka could just make out the edge of the burn under the hair and lifted a finger to trace the line where the skin became red and rough. He wondered vaguely what had happened to the prince and his fingers ran up into black hair and back again to the ridge of Zuko’s nose. Zuko shifted under his fingertips, so Sokka pulled back, letting his hand settle back to his side. Traces of embarrassment from falling asleep so early and sleeping in the same bed as another man tinted his cheeks rosy color. He hoped he had not snored during the night.

The mild and vague thoughts were quickly driven from the non-bender’s mind as some sort of moan came out of Zuko before he opened his eyes, squinting in the warm afternoon light."It's too early" he groaned into Sokka's chest, snuggling further into the muscled frame below him. He was enjoying the warmth and secure feeling that being wrapped around Sokka’s bulky frame provided. Sokka laughed, it resonating in his chest so that Zuko could feel the vibration. Slowly, Zuko looked up into Sokka’s eyes, golden irises against bright blue. In the light Zuko could make out the patterns of cold silver leading into deep blue that worked their way through the iris. He could look into those eyes forever he realized, shifted himself forward so that he could look closer. They stayed like that for a moment, admiring each other in silence, lips inches apart.

Sokka closed the last of the distance and their lips met, slowly pushing against each other. It wasn’t either of their first kisses, but the feeling was new to both of them. Excitement wound in their stomachs, feeling like fireworks. The awkward angle forced Zuko to pull his body further up Sokka’s and straddle him so that their lips were in line. Sokka moaned and brought up a hand to lace through Zuko's dark hair, deepening the kiss. Sokka’s tongue ran over Zuko’s bottom lip, gently requesting access. The fire prince eagerly obliged, letting their tongues run over each other. It was sloppy and beautiful and so god damn hot. Even Zuko's lips radiated with fire bender heat as they moved against Sokka's soft ones. Zuko’s hands ran down Sokka’s chest, feeling the lines of well built muscles under his fingers. Sokka’s left hand, the one not busy pulled at Zuko’s soft locks, found its way to his ass, kneading at the round flesh. 

The fire prince gasped as Sokka bit down on his lip, making him pull away and buck back onto Sokka, allowing him to notice the growing length in the water tribe warrior's pants. The fire bender decided promptly that he liked the feeling of the other man's dick against his ass, and ground down. Sokka groaned guttetally, and Zuko, liking the sound of Sokka losing control, did it again. The fire prince could feel his own length growing as he felt his new lover's sizable dick move against the cleft of his ass. Zuko pulled away to look down at Sokka, breathless and slightly flushed. His eyes were glassily staring up at Zuko, lower lip caught between his teeth to keep more embarrassing noises from spewing from his mouth. It was so hot, Zuko was almost drooling. 

Zuko himself wasn't looking too bad, torso twisting as he ground down onto Sokka, mouth fallen open in a soundless moan. Sokka couldn't take it anymore, he flipped over Zuko so he was the one on top. Zuko gasped and Sokka smirked down at his prey. Without wasting a second, Sokka reached down to cup Zuko’s dick, massaging the bulge. Zuko writhed and groaned, mouthing pleas to the man above him. Sokka wished he could do this forever, but his own needs were insistent and painfully so.

Quickly, Sokka pulled down the fire bender's pants leaving his length exposed, the older boy gasped as the cool air hit his length. The fire bender’s cock was painfully hard, veins creating ridges on the skin, drops of precum making the head glisten. Sokka moved frantically to shed his own pants and soon his cock was in line with Zuko’s. With a quick motion he pulled them both into his fist and began moving. To feel the other man's cock, the heat and veins and wetness of precum, was overwhelming, and Zuko began to babble incoherently. Some combination of ‘Sokka’, ‘Oh god’, ‘please’, spewed continuously from the fire benders mouth. Sokka was able to keep his lips sealed, but resonated with the sentiment. 

Sokka could feel the pressure of orgasm knotting in his stomach, and desperately began to move his hands in erratic motions. He didn’t want to cum before Zuko, but could already feel himself being pulled towards the inevitable. He quickly brought his free hand to his lips, sticking his middle finger in and covering it with warm saliva. With decisive motions he began to circle it around the writhing fire benders opening, pushing slowly inside. Before the finger was even halfway into the prince’s ass, he cried out and let his cum splatter over Sokka’s hand and both of their abdomens. Feeling the hot cum on his hands, Sokka finally let go and came, groaning. Sokka slumped limply down onto Zuko, letting the cum rest stickily between them. 

\---

They lay there, enjoying the afterglow, for a few minutes. The sun warmed the room and their breathing calmed into a slow push and pull. Sokka was still mostly on top of Zuko, only letting his hips rest slightly to the side so as to not fully crush the prince. Still a good portion of the weight still sat on the prince, something that he did not mind in the slightest. For a moment, intertwined in that bed, they could forget about the world that was resting on their shoulders.  
Soon, though, the moment was broken. Sokka would feel Zuko shaking beneath him, the thin figure of the fire prince quaking even under the warmth of the water tribesman covering him. Sokka pulled away to wipe off the beginnings of a tear that was collecting on the rim of the fire prince’s eye, examining the face of the prince, contorted with some heavy emotion Sokka could not place.

“I’m so sorry!” Sokka whispered, mind running wild with a million things he was guilty of, trying to pinpoint why his new lover was crying, “What’s wrong?” Panic tainted his voice, the ends of the syllables wavering ever so slightly. He could feel his own tears collecting in his eyes, ready to break down for hurting Zuko. It had been such a short relationship, just days ago he had hated the man before him with everything he had, but somehow now, the thought of hurting him broke Sokka’s heart. His eyes ran over his lover's face desperately, adrenaline pumping through his veins, ready to do anything he could to make it better.  
Zuko shook his head, eyes looking meaningfully into those of the man above him. His classically fire nation eyes were still glassy with tears, but in the depths Sokka could see something deeper than even sadness. Something that made his heart stutter. 

“Nothings wrong.” Zuko whispered, arms wrapping around Sokka to pull him back into a chaste kiss, “Everything is perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, as always if you liked it and/or want more, please leave Kudos and comment about what you liked, didn't like, or want to see.


	3. Chapter 3

Sokka walked out of the bedroom first, oblivious to his aggressive bedhead and ready to eat some breakfast. Zuko took some more time, running his fingers through his hair and rinsing off the stickier parts of his chest. It was late in the day and the others had already been awake for hours. Aang was fooling around with the other kids at camp, Katara doing laundry, and Toph sitting with her feet in a tub of cool water healing the burns given to her by Zuko. Sokka went out to try to find some food for the group and Zuko relaxed and read some scrolls detailing the layout of the earth he had stolen. He had been forced to learn this sort of thing as a child but three years had taken his memories of many of the back passages and broken gates littering every side of the expansive kingdom. Soon enough the sky began to darken and katara shifted the focus to preparing the rabbit and various vegetables Sokka had brought with him. The kids came back from wherever they had been in the air temple and everyone ate. Chatter filled the air as Aang animatedly talked about some new discovery he had made.   
Zuko looked over at Sokka across the fire, smiling at his friends and his sister. He was handsome when he smiled, face free of any sign of the war that he had fought. Zuko knew he would never be able to fit in with the rest of them, would never be able to fit in with them, would never be able to forget all he had been through even for a moment with his friends. The moments he and Sokka shared the night before and that morning seemed so fleetingly perfect. He had, almost, been able to just forget, to enjoy the moments he was living with no thoughts of the past or future. But it wouldn’t last. He knew that. The perfection of a peaceful mind was not meant for him, his mind was reserved for memories he did not wish to remember. His Heart ached for Sokka, but there was no guarantee that Sokka saw him as anything but a one night stand when he couldn’t sleep. There was no way he would want to do it again after his little water show. Sokka shifted to look at him and Zuko averted his gaze, looking off into nothingness somewhere.   
“So, fireprince, what did you do today?” Sokka asked. Katara rolled her eyes and glared at Zuko, but the rest of the group simply waited expectantly for an answer.  
“Well… um… you see” Zuko blabbered as he scouched back away from the fire and layed out one of the maps he had been looking at, “I was looking at these maps and thinking of the way that my father could invade and how we would be best positioned to fight back.” he looked around the campfire, seeing a type of anxiety ripple through them. Thoughts of the war were thoughts of reality but living in the air temple the group had been living in some type of dream.   
“Don’t say the fire nation as if you aren’t one of them” Katara spit out, venom running through every word.  
“Katara shut up,” Toph said, the small girl grabbing the attention of the campfire. She was small and looked fragile but Zuko knew she was a powerful bender as well as a bossy authoritarian when she needed to be. He smiled, knowing that Toph wanted to hear the rest of Zuko’s report much more than defend him in any way, but it still felt nice.   
“Anyway,” He continued through the interruption, “I would assume the fire nation knows about this air temple and if they know we are here it would be very easy for them to attack us here. In fact, the entire earth kingdom is militarized right now, so if we are spotted anywhere, we would be toast in seconds.”  
“So what?” Sokka said, leaning dangerously across the fire to look at the map, “where do we go so that we can be safe?”  
“One of the more remote air temples would be good if we could be discreet about getting there, and the northern water tribe remains autonomous” Zuko said, “But we can’t really keep up with the war in either of those places. I think our best bet is staying in the fire nation.” The room was silent, looking at Zuko like he had a lemur poking out of his ears. He felt his cheeks slowly warm in embarrassment and leaned back into the shadows to obscure himself.   
“Yeah Zuko” Aang started in his ‘imma let you down easy voice’ that sounded way too parental for a twelve year old, “I don’t think any of us have any interest in going back to the fire nation after…” How could he be so fucking insensitive, classice Zuko, never reading the god damn room. Zuko’s eyes shot to Sokka, who sat limply across. Shame and guilt painted his features, he looked at the ground. It was silent for a long moment before someone started talking again. Zuko couldn’t hear a single word, he looked at Sokka until Sokka looked back. Their eyes met and Zuko tried to apologise with his eyes. Apologise for suggesting they go to the fire nation, apologise for everything he had ever done to him and his friends, and tell him that none of it was his fault. Who knew if any of that got through to the water tribesman across the fire, but he healed the fire prince’s gaze nonetheless.   
The night wore on and slowly people began to leave the fire and go to bed, by the time the last grey in the sky had been replaced by the deep blue of night, only the fire prince and water tribesman were left, eyes locked into each other with an easy softness. They stayed in silence for a long moment after Katara had gotten herself up and to her room. Zuko didn’t really want to talk, didn’t want to hear Sokka tell him that last night was a one time thing. Even if he didn’t tonight, eventually Sokka would realize he didn’t want to be with Zuko, it always happened. He was so used to rejection it shouldn’t hurt anymore, but it did. Every last one chipped at something deep inside him and he was afraid that someday he would lose his very self. Not like that would be the worst thing in the world, being himself had led to nothing but suffering for seventeen years. But either way, it was so much easier to just not let the rejection happen, to end it on his terms. Without a word, Zuko got up and walked away, leaving Sokka by himself at the fire.  
In his room, Zuko lay on his bed alone, sure he wouldn’t get an ounce of sleep. He stared at the ceiling for hours, trying to not let his thoughts wander to the deep ache in his chest to be with Sokka. He dared not go outside of his room and run into Sokka, he dared not think about Sokka. The handsome watertribes man who could smile and laugh with his friends. He was strong and kind and utterly perfect. Who, once he could go back to the world after the war, would leave Zuko high and dry. 

***

Zuko stood before the young avatar, after a day of adjusting to the new group, it was time to begin training. He watched the avatar produce a small amount of smoke and sighed, this would be alot of training to get done in a few weeks.   
“Maybe a demonstration?” the avatar asked. It seemed easy enough, the type of thing that he had been able to do since he was a child, maybe with less power or precision than his sister, but usually a puff of flame was easy to create. Yet what came out was a shadow of what it should be. He growled as he tried again and again to produce a real flame, growing more and more frustrated. When Sokka walked in and announced he wanted to watch, Zuko could feel anger and embarrassment bubbling through him.   
“Get out of here” he yelled at Sokka, instantly feeling guilty. But Sokka, always the cool guy, brushed it off and walked away biting into his apple. Zuko watched him walk away, his cool jaunt overdone just a little bit. His hair was out, blowing in the slight breeze.   
“I was just kidding around” he mumbled, trying to sound joking but a small part of Zuko knew that he was shocked and confused. Zuko crumpled, letting his head fall into his hands.   
“Class dismissed” he said and listened to Aang run away to his friends. It was only slightly concerning that the fate of the world rested in the hands of a literal twelve year old. When the avatar was gone, he pulled himself up and followed Sokka’s path. He found the water tribesman finishing off his apple near the meditation room of the air temple.   
“What are you going to yell at me again?” Sokka asked, throwing the apple core over the side of the cliff. All of his humour was gone, his shield and armour laid bare.   
“I’m sorry that I yelled at you.” Zuko apologised, “It’s just fire bending has always been the one thing I thought could never leave me, ya know? And now it’s gone, it’s like, even parts of myself are leaving me. Even firebending doesn’t want me.” Zuko curled into a ball resting his head on his arms. Zuko could feel Sokka’s strong arms wrapping around him. He turned his head and looked into Sokka’s eyes and then let his gaze fall to Sokka’s dark and full lips. Sokka leaned in, letting their lips brush over each other. It was a breathy and innocent kiss at first. Zuko brought his hands up to wrap in Sokka’s dark hair, pulling him closer, knowing he would regret this quickly.   
Zuko was pushed down onto his back, and Sokka climbed on top of him. Their lips slid over each other hot and slightly wet. Sokka licked at the firebender’s lips and was quickly granted access. Sokka explored his mouth with his tongue. Zuko’s hands wrapped in Sokka’s hair and grabbed at his muscled ass. Sokka groaned into his mouth.   
It was a terrible idea. Sokka knew that. He knew that after the last time all the fire prince had done was leave him and yell at him. Obviously he had no intention of having a relationship. Sokka wasn’t built for hookup, he needed support and love to really let himself go. The first night it had really felt like something more, even now it felt like Zuko was opening up to him, but it would end the moment he pulled away. Still, Sokka could feel his need spiraling in his gut. He wanted to consume Zuko, he wanted to completely wrap the firebender in his essence. He could feel heat radiating off of the body below him, threatening to burn his own flesh. The feeling made him kiss Zuko even deeper. He wished he didn’t have to support himself over the firebending so he could let his hands rome the expansive pale skin stretched over Zuko’s thin frame.   
He could feel himself getting hard and slotted his hips in with Zuko’s, gasping at the hardness he was met with. Zuko growled and bucked up into Sokka.   
“Sokka?” Katara called out from somewhere way too close for comfort, “Sokka where are you?” Sokka tensed, biting down on Zuko’s lip. Zuko gasped but pulled away from Sokka.   
“Fuck” Sokka clambered awkwardly to his feet, readjusting himself before beginning to jog towards the voice of him sister, leaving Zuko hot and heavy of the hard airtemple floor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I feel like the story has drifted a little from the akward romance it started with and I do want to get back to that, so bear with me a little and I promise some cute romantic stuff is coming.

It wasnt that they tried to avoid eachother, well maybe it was. Sokka and Zuko hadn't said a word to eachother since Katara had interrupted them to make Sokka help her gather food. They exchanged long glances and akward silences throughout the next few days, but the truth was they were both busy. Zuko traveled and trained with Aang for most of the day each day and Sokka increasingly found himself responsible for providing food for the group. Long days for both of them often ended facing eachother over the fire while the others made their way to bed. It just seemed like them together didnt fit in their lives.

Without talking to Zuko and with everyone constantly busy, Sokka found he had fad to much time alone with his thoughts. During the day looking for food he would think and worry and at night he would force himself to lie in bed for hours attempting to go to sleep. He still could barely ever fall asleep before the colors of the sunrise began to paint the sky but no one was awake to talk to except Zuko, but the silence from the fire bender spoke volumes about how much he wanted to talk. So Sokka continued being alone and constantly thinking and thinking and thinking. The weeks hadn't done much to ease Sokka's guilt which still weighed in his gut like a bad meal, constantly making him slightly queasy. He wanted help all the people that had gotten captured because of him, to make it all right again, but he just didnt know how to do that. 

He spent days looking at anything they had on the fire nation trying to find anything that could possibly helpx but came up empty handed time and time again. The night Katara and Zuko went out to find the man that killed their mother, it occurred to him that Zuko really did know the inner details of the fire nation. If with just a description of a flag he could name the fleet and find them, he might know where his friends and family were. The thought filled him with a nervous kind of hope, but the thought of asking Zuko for help made him a different kind of nervous. A darker and more bitter type. But within hours he had come to the conclusion that his father's safety was more important than his teen romance drama. So he asked.

Before he could even process the conversation, he was on a war balloon with his favorite prince, flying above the mountains and valleys of the fire nation. They had already been flying for hours and worry wrapped around Sokkas insides making him feel completely panicked. He should feel better, at least having some information that could help him locate his tribesman and his dad, but he felt worse. Without thinking Sokka looked at his companion, tracing the fine worry lines at the edges of his mouth. 

"You cant not talk to me for days and then look at me like that" Zuko sneered, pushing fire into the steel contraption that power the balloon, his eyes were focused solely on the flame and it flickered against the metal. Even with the fire aimed inside the box, the air around the two men was warm, and Sokka could feel sweat clinging to his forehead. Sokka hadn't been expecting Zuko's snappy comment, but it didn't rattle him. He let his eyes loose focus on Zuko to look out into the sky, thinking for a second before responding. 

"We've been busy" it was true, but it wasn't the full truth. It wasnt anything close to the full truth. If it had simply been a matter of business the hours spent across the fire listening the Aang and Katara laugh wouldnt have felt like days, and when everyone had gone to bed, neither would have forced themselves to go to their rooms in silence and solitude. Perhaps it was business of the mind, the constant weight on the conscious that you were supposed to save the world didnt leave much to ponder things to say to someone with whom you cannot fully define your relationship. But it was an easy answer, an answer that in some ways said all of that in three words. 

"What are we doing?" Zuko turned to Sokka, "What do you want?" 

"I don't know" Sokka admitted, "I want to be with you but it doesnt seem like you want to be with me and with have all of this stuff going on and Sozins comet is in a few weeks and..." Sokka rambled on, listing reason after reason that their lives didnt have room for a relationship. The prince wanted to kiss him, let the worries melt away into his lips, but it was all true. Everything Sokka was saying was completely true. 

"So what then" Zuko finally whispered after Sokka had finished. 

"I want to be with you" pain laced Sokka's voice. He was already on edge with all the emotion of trying to save his father and his tribe from the fire nation, and this conversation was far from calming him. He could feel tears stinging at the edges of his eyes and he turned away, again staring at nothing in particular. 

A million thoughts rushed through Zuko's head. Things to say and do, most surrounding confessing his feelings to Sokka and coming clean about all his issues that were making him pull away. He wanted to curse their lives and their responsibilities and tell Sokka that they didnt have to complicate things, that they could be the refuge. But he could see the steam in the distance, so all he said was: "we're here." 

\-----  
Sokka would make a really hot prison guard, Zuko decided. The way the uniform fit Sokka's broad shoulders and slimmer waistline took away Zuko's breath, but it hardly seemed time to say such things, so the fire prince kept his mouth firmly shut. In fact, Zuko tried to keep as low a profile as he could the entire time they were at the boiling rock. This was time for Sokka to reunite with his friend and father, both of whom hated Zuko's guts. It seemed wise to keep aa quiet as possible. 

Silence, however, did not remedy the sinking feeling in his stomach when he realized the nature of Sokka and Suki's relationship. He tried to focus of what Sokka had said on the war balloon, that he wanted to be with him, but the anxiety crept past his reason and poisoned his thoughts. They washed over him even when tied to a chair being yelled at by his ex girlfriend. 

"A fucking letter?" Mai was saying something about how he should have told her in person, but all Zuko could think about was Sokka. Was he alright? Was he with Suki? He hoped against hope that they would wait for him, but he couldnt know for sure. Sokka would obviously value getting his dad and Suki out over him, so if an opportunity presented itself, Zuko feared that he was all alone on the boiling rock. 

"Mai, I need to tell you something" Zuko said before he could think it through. He cared for Mai deeply but she needed to know the truth. That even after the war, even if she switched sides or he had not, that he could never feel the same way. It hurt, telling her. She was like the sister that he had wanted, the one person in the whole fire nation that seemed to actually care about him. It hurt even more when he took the opportunity when her guard was down to tie her up and escape. But it had to be done, and now he could only hope that she would forgive him one day. 

He met up with the rest of the group in the yard, sighing of relief that they were safe and had not left him. Before he could fully say hello the escape was happening. Suki was scaling the building and a riot was brewing with the prisoners. Zuko cringed when Hakoda commented something about how great Suki was, but was quickly disturbed in his discomfort by the need to catch up to her. Out of breath they boarded the car and went on their way. 

\--- 

Zuko sat alone at the edge of the fire, watching Katara and Sokka talk animatedly with their father. He smiled, there was a purity that some families had that he could never understand, but he could see the happiness on all their faces. He thought of Mai, even after telling he that he was gay and tying her up in a jail cell she had still risked her life for him. She loved him deeper than romantically, maybe that's what families felt like. He wasnt jealous, but happy to see everyone so happy. 

When finally Hakota decided he needed rest and Katara finished her cleaning, Sokka walked over and sat next to Zuko, letting his head rest on the fire benders shoulder. Zuko tensed. 

"So you and Suki then?" Sokka sighed, letting a finger run up the prince's spine and trace the hard muscles of his shoulders. 

"When we were in the jail cell, she kissed me" Sokka waited for Zuko to snap at him of shift away, but he didn't, "I told her I was gay and that me and you were kind of a thing" 

"No wonder she doesn't like me" Zuko laughed darkly amd swallowed, "Sokka you've had girlfriends before and I just..."

"So have you" Sokka butted in before Zuko could finish 

"So have I"

"Listen, I'd like to give this a try. It's okay if you dont but..." Zuko kissed him, cupping his cheek in his overly warm fire bender hands, letting their lips move against eachother breathlessly for a moment before pulling away. Their eyes looked into each other deeply, blue against gold, trying to pull apart the emotions written into the nightlights and shadows. 

"No more ignoring eachother" Zuko whispered pleadingly. Sokka nodded, head still resting in Zukos hands. 

"And not more hiding." Sokkas voice was dark and heavy with emotion, "not just this, I'm tired of hiding a part of myself." 

"Okay." Zuko agreed before kissing the boy with the pretty blue eyes again.


	5. sword fighting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I fully didn't proof read this at all so please excuse any spelling/grammatical errors!  
> Fair warning: this chapter includes smut.

"Catch" Katara threw Zuko's laundry at his read with a surprising amount of force.  
"Ow!" Zuko muttered as the cloths made impact. A few feet away Toph grunted as her cloths made impact with her body.  
"At least you can see them Jerkbender!" Toph laughed, gathering her cloths in her hands.  
"Is everyone calling me that now?" Zuko huffed, taking the time to fold the individual items of clothing into a neat stack. The group chuckled at that, each of them consumed with organizing their own clean laundry, "And anyway it's not like I can see very well from that angle, not since my father burned me." The air temple went silent. When Zuko looked up everyone was staring at him with pity and confusion, well everyone but Toph who was looking somewhere in the distance past Zuko's head.  
"Your father..." Katara prodded gently, her voice almost scared. Zuko scrunched his eyebrows together, wondering what they had thought about the scar. It occurred to him that even in Ba Sing Sei he had never told Katara the whole story, and while the weight of the story was a constant weight on his shoulders, others could not read the tale off of the lines of his scar. The thought was comforting in a way, that his history was fully his own.  
"Yeah, my father..." Zuko didn't know what to say. He thought of that day every moment for three years out on the ocean, it was his motivation, it was what he was running from. The shame he had felt at one point was less now, but still clung to him light the smell of a place he once lived. It seemed odd now, to think of it, after giving up what he had worked for for so long. His past self would have never forgiven him if he could see present Zuko. It was a lot to think about with what seemed like a hundred eyes on him.  
"How could that happen?" Sokka said so quietly Zuko wondered if he was asking himself more that the prince. Hearing Sokka's voice, laced with disgust and sadness made Zuko feel sick. He knew that he would never be able to be a part of the family like the one Sokka had. Family meant something to them, it meant love and loyalty. Zuko didn't think he would ever be able to feel that way, there was so much baggage to deal with first. He had just the day before decided to really give things a shot with Sokka, but the truth was he didn't know how any of it would turn out. Seeing Sokka laugh with his family and having to remember the awful things done to him by his highlighted the world of difference between them. The fire prince could feel tears blooming in his eyes as he spoke.  
"We were in a strategy meeting and one of the generals... he wanted to send in the new recruits as a distraction, have them be slaughtered. I spoke up and told them that it was wrong to do that. My father told me it was rude to have spoken out of turn and I would have to have an Agni Kai, a fire duel. I thought I would be fighting the old general, but because I had spoken out of turn in my father's court I had disrespected him, not the general. I refused to fight, so he burned me and banished me, only to return when I had found the avatar." Zuko looked at his hands, the hands that could bend the same element that had been used to burn him. His blood was that of the fire nation, of the enemy, and he could not forget that. He could feel familiar shame in him, guilt and pain pulling at the tears in his eyes. No one said anything for a long time, only the sounds of the fire and chirping birds filled the air. Zuko could feel eyes on him but refused to look up. He didn't want to be pitied. Slowly he rose and walked out of the columned area, not looking up from his hands.  
Zuko had barely made it past the archway when he heard footsteps after him. He stood still in the hallway, it was dark infront of him with light only spewing from where he had just left. He let his eyes trace the long tendrils of ivy that curled over the white stone of the archway as he waited for the footsteps to catch up. He rolled his eyes, not wanting Aang or Katara to tell him he should talk it out or some bullshit like that, but thought it would be easier to just get the conversation over earlier than to play hide and seek for hours. He was pleasantly surprised when he felt Sokka's warm arms wrap around his chest from behind, pulling his in.  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sokka asked, his voice hushed. Sokka was shorter that Zuko, and his cheek pressed against the firebender's shoulder.  
"I don't know why it's that big of a deal" his voice betrayed him, coming of choppy and gargling as he tried to keep tears from falling. He could feel himself relaxing into Sokka's arms despite his best intentions. He wanted more than anything to just be with Sokka, to forget about his past and just enjoy some stupid teen romance. Sokka made him feel safe and warm. The first time he had Sokka in his arms he had cried because he had never felt so protected and loved. Even then, when he thought it was just one night, he had felt something between them that made him feel so safe. But after that post orgasmic glow, the reality had set in. There was so much trauma and disfunction that Sokka would have to work through if he wanted to be with Zuko, and Zuko couldn't put that on him. Still, it seemed that whenever the prince found himself with the watertribesman, he couldn't help opening up and getting attached.  
"We should spar" Sokka announced, pulling his hands from around Zuko to walk forward into the darkness of the hallway, confident in his ability to navigate to a good sparring space. Zuko smirked and the announcement, knowing that it would take his mind off of everything and knowing that was exactly why Sokka had decided that was what they were doing. That first night they were together they had talked at length about sword fighting. Sokka claimed he had trained under a master, and said that his sword fighting made him feel like a more useful part of the team. Zuko had explained that he became a different person when he used his sword, that he was the blue spirit, not the fire prince. It had long been a way for him to disconnect from his past and his nation. He trained for hours a day in his rooms while searching for the avatar, using all his free time to master the blade. It reminded him he could be powerful without his family legacy or his bending.  
"ARE YOU COMING?!" Sokka shouted from down the hallway and Zuko skipped into action, jogging to catch up with the younger boy, all thoughts of their previous conversation forgotten to the idea of Sokka sweaty and hot. After a few detours, and Zuko realizing that trusting Sokka to navigate was an absolute mistake, they made it to a flat outcropping. They both had been keeping their swords at their backs and at the ready incase there was an attack on the air temple, but none had happened yet. They both unsheathed their weapons and began to get in position, facing each other. Sokka made the first attack, lunging towards Zuko with a quick jab that Zuko easily avoided. If he were not too focused on sword fighting he would have taken in Sokka's adorable focusing face and the way that small pieces of his hair had fallen out of the pony tail to sway with his movements. He would have smiled at the way that the water tribe muscles flexed and released like powerful coils as he moved. He would have drooled at the tan skin that had a thin layer of summer sweat on it, reflecting the sun off of his sharp cheekbones and jawline. And suddenly Sokka was lunging again and Zuko was absolutely not paying enough attention to the actual fight at all. Zuko skidded out of the way barely in time to avoid the blow. Refocusing, Zuko pounced on Sokka, his two blades spinning as if he were dancing.  
They fought like that for what seemed like hours, until they were both drenched in sweat and completely breathless. Sokka was a much better swordsman than Zuko had expected and the fact he was really nice to look at while fighting did little to help the prince's chances. Zuko moved like a a water bender with his swords, twirling out of the way just to come back with an attack. He was graceful and light on his feet, while Sokka was much harsher. The water tribe boy liked to hold his ground, preferring to deflect blows rather than avoid them. As they fought it became clear that despite Sokka's training, Zuko still had the advantage. The younger boy was pushed further towards the wall and Zuko advanced. Zuko sliced at Sokka and the sound of metal on metal rang through the air as Sokka's space sword made impact with a blade. Zuko seized the moment to trap the single blade between his two and wrench the blade from Sokka's hands. He hadn't realized just how close the wall had been until Zuko took one more step forward and Sokka found himself trapped between the two blades and the wall. He could feel the heat radiating off of Zuko in waves. His throat went dry and Zuko pressed the blades against his throat until he could feel the cool press of metal on his windpipe.  
"I win" Zuko stated, his breathlessness turning his voice husky and deep. Sokka nodded slowly against the blade, swallowing down non existent saliva. Adrenaline pumped through his system as his heart hammered in his chest. Zuko let his blade drop to the floor with a clatter before descending on Sokka. Their lips met in a fury of teeth and tongue. Zuko pressed Sokka into the wall until the water tribesman pulled his legs up to wrap around his waist.  
Sokka ran his fingers up Zuko's spine from under his shirt, letting his nails catch on skin, leaving deep scratch marks all over his back. Zuko growled into Sokka's ear at the sensation which only made him scratch harder. Zuko buried his head in Sokka's neck, kissing and biting at the skin, he could taste the salty sweat that covered his opponent as he sucked. He wondered briefly how the group would react if he left marks all down Sokka's neck. They had said they wouldn't hide, but it didn't seem proper to announce anything with all that was going on, but leaving Sokka with dark bruises that would linger for weeks would be quite the announcement. He bit down with the thought, letting his teeth dig into soft flesh, making Sokka's breath come out unsteady. He could feel the other man get harder and harder against him. Their hips were in line with eachother and every movement gave them both much needed friction. He wanted to do so many things in that moment, but only whispered in Sokka's ear: "I want to fuck you." Sokka groaned and Zuko began to suck on his earlope, playing with the lobe in his mouth until Sokka caught his breath enough to respond.  
"Yes" if it had been any other situation, Sokka would have been embarrassed by the whining sound of his voice, but could bring himself to care with Zuko sucking on his ear and his hands running over the hard muscled back of his favorite fire bender. Zuko pulled back from the wall, forcing Sokka to put his feet on the ground, regaining his balance for only a moment before being forcibly turned around and pushed back onto the wall. Sokka could feel the could air against his ass as Zuko pulled down his pants in on quick motion. He heard a wet pop and there was something cold and wet circling his hole. He gasped as Zuko pressed a finger in. The stretch was slightly painful as Zuko pushed and pulled the finger in and out slowly, twisting once in a while. Sokka whimpered as another finger entered him. He bit is lip as it stretched, as Zuko scissored his fingers he could feel tears burning at his eyes and could taste blood on his lips. Finally Zuko arched his fingers and Sokka cried out in pleasure. Stars shot across his vision as he cursed. He could hear Zuko chuckle somewhere behind him but it seemed so far away and he couldn't bring himself to care when he was feeling this. He could already feel his dick leaking with precum, the wall he was pressed against providing enough friction that he was almost humping it. He wished the feeling would never end, but Zuko pulled his fingers back and added a third. The stretch was still painful but he started feeling the pleasure of it and was soon pleading for more. He wanted to feel the prince inside of him, to feel the prince's heat pulsing within him. Zuko was happy to oblige.  
Zuko pulled out his fingers and Sokka whined at the withdrawal before feeling the blunt head of Zuko's cock against his entrance, slicked up with saliva. Zuko wished he had actual lube like the type he used with Mai in the fire nation, but he didn't have it here so they would have to make do. The stretch burned as Zuko entered into Sokka's tight hole, and started moving. The rhythm was slow at first as they both adjusted, but Zuko could feel his self control wearing thin. The tight heat felt so good and all he wanted to do was pound into it, especially when he could look at Sokka's toned back and silky soft hair and hear the dirty noises he was making. But he could feel how tense Sokka was beneath him, so he resisted. He ran his fingers through the dark brown hair, pulling any remaining strands from the long dead ponytail, letting his fingers massage at the scalp. Sokka's breathing evened out at he got used to the feeling of someone else inside him.  
"Are you okay?" Zuko asked quietly  
"Yeah" Sokka breathed  
"Is this your first time?" Zuko asked, cursing himself for not asking this question before they had started, the moment had swept away all common sense from his mind.  
"Yes" Sokka said, voice slightly stronger now. Zuko let his hand slide from Sokka's hair down to his hips and let his finger tips dig in there. Zuko shook his head, wishing he could have taken Sokka's first time in a better way, but promising himself that he would make this good. Slowly the rhythm increased as Sokka loosened up. Sokka moaned a writhed under Zuko and finally pleaded Zuko to go harder when he insisted on staying slow for his first time. Sokka bucked back slightly and whinned and Zuko felt his control slipping. As he began ramming deep into Sokka, Zuko adjusted the angle to hit that spot again and again, Sokka thought he might just die it was so good. Sokka was being pushed into the wall over and over again, he would probably have huge bruises the next day, but he didn't care. He could feel Zuko's heat running through him and curling in his stomach like a sleeping dragon. The pain had all but melted into the ever building pleasure. He could feel Zuko's fingers digging into him and the firebenders ragged breath. He didn't even know what he was saying anymore, some mix of pleas and curses and just repeating a name. Without warning everything was unleashed and he could feel himself coming, dick twitching as it spouted white stuff against his stomach.  
"Fuck Zuko, god, yes" Sokka spouted dirty works of literature as he came, the sound of his name in that voice made Zuko all the more desperate to cum. Especially as  
Sokka completely tensed and Zuko could feel his hole completely clench like a steal trap around him. His strokes became erratic as he felt himself getting closer to climax, feeling the pleasure build. Finally he came, not bothering to pull out. Sokka moaned limply as he felt himself being filled with Zuko's cum, so deep in him he wondered if it would ever really come out. Not that he would mind having Zuko's cum stay in him forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! If you did please leave kudos and comments about what you liked, didn't like, or would like to see in future chapters. Tbh I have no idea where I am going with this/how much more I will write of this, so if you want more please tell me what to write lmfao ;)


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